On the lookout for fresh-faced talent
Local directors out to find Durban’s next big-screen star
LOCAL movie directors are on a scouting mission in Durban, searching for actors to play leading roles in their upcoming silver-screen production.
Durban-born actress Kajal Bagwandeen is a member of the casting team for the film Kings of Mulberry Street, which follows the escapades of an unlikely pair of friends, Ticky and Baboo, who take on a local druglord.
Bagwandeen said the team was looking for two Indian boys who could bring Ticky and Baboo to life.
She said: “The young actors will be leading a movie that is scheduled for an international release, and should provide a great stepping stone for their careers.”
Ticky is a slightly skinny, street-smart youngster while Baboo is chubby and book-smart. Both are aged 10.
“I’ve been working on films in Cape Town and Joburg, so it’s great to see a film being shot in Durban and supported by the Kwazulunatal community,” Bagwandeen said. The film will pay homage to 1980s Bollywood themes, and is set in a quaint village inspired by the vibrancy of Verulam, which is the home town of awardwinning director Judy Naidoo. Naidoo gained international recognition last year for her first feature film, Hatchet Hour. Her new Kajal Bagwandeen venture is a feel-good family movie, for which cameras are set to start rolling early next year.
Naidoo said: “These opportunities never existed for me when I was young, so I want to give back to the area where I come from, which is why we’re looking for Durban-based actors.”
Auditions are set to take place on September 30 and October 1.
To book an audition slot, e-mail two recent photographs of the young candidate, along with contact details, to info@imagineworx.co and komscasting@gmail.com. Should the candidate fit the brief, the casting director will respond.
Submissions are open until tomorrow.